The slow death of autopsies: A retrospective analysis of the autopsy prevalence rate in Austria from 1990 to 2009

摘要

Autopsies are still the gold standard by which treatment methods, clinical decision-making procedures and diagnostic tools can be measured. They not only help to establish the true cause of death, they also provide an insight into how patients' deaths can be prevented in future.In Austria, where autopsy enjoyed its apotheosis in the 1800s, the law permits non-forensic autopsies to be done without the consent of next of kin in cases in which there is a clear medical or scientific interest. Autopsy rate reporting may vary between institutions, depending on whether forensic, other outpatient cases, stillbirth cases, and cases referred from outside the hospital are included; many of the rates are reported from individual hospitals and appear in published studies.